Rep. George Miller Statement on Fourth Anniversary of Lilly Ledbetter Law
WASHINGTON – Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today on the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Rep. Miller was the House author of the legislation.
“Four years ago today, President Obama signed his first bill into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The Ledbetter law restored the right of women and other workers to fight pay discrimination. I remain proud that a Democratic Congress and President Obama acted quickly to overturn a terribly misguided Supreme Court decision that effectively closed the courthouse door to those seeking to right a wrong. This action is an example of how Congress, when it wants to, can be a force for positive change.
“While the Ledbetter law was necessary and important, significant loopholes in the law remain that allow the despicable practice of paying a woman less just for being a woman to continue. That’s why the Paycheck Fairness Act is still necessary. It will close these loopholes that have allowed employers to avoid responsibility for discriminatory pay. If we really care about stamping out injustice and treating our sisters and daughters equally, then Congress should work together to stamp out this immoral practice.”
The 5 to 4 Ledbetter v. Goodyear Supreme Court decision in 2007 severely restricted the rights of employees to challenge unlawful pay discrimination. Under the Ledbetter ruling, if an employee did not file a claim within 180 days of her employer's decision to pay her less, she was barred forever from challenging the discriminatory paychecks that followed.
Prior to the Supreme Court decision, every discriminatory paycheck was a new violation that restarted the clock for filing a claim. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act restored that rule. Then-Chairman Miller held the first hearing and drafted legislation to address this Supreme Court ruling.
Read more about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Read more about the Paycheck Fairness Act, authored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.).
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